THE BEAR AND THE BEES

[56] A BEAR roaming the woods in
search of berries happened on a
fallen tree in which a swarm of
Bees had stored their honey. The
Bear began to nose around the log
very carefully to find out if the
Bees were at home. Just then one
of the swarm came home from the
clover f field with a load of sweets.
Guessing what the Bear was after,
the Bee f lew at him, stung him
sharply and then disappeared into
the hollow log.

The Bear lost his temper in an
instant, and sprang upon the log
tooth and claw, to destroy the
nest. But this only brought out
the whole swarm. The poor Bear
had to take to his heels, and he
was able to save himself only by
diving into a pool of water.

It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to
provoke a thousand by flying into a rage.

Hundreds of additional titles available for
online reading when you join Gateway to the Classics